There is essentially one known technique of using a keypad for controlling a radiotelephone. The technique uses from four to twelve function keys in addition to the standard twelve key data pad and it includes a display for the data input.
The function keys generally include some or all of the following functions: send, end, power, recall, store, clear, function, name, volume and menu. The number and type of keys depends on the manufacturer and the features on the phone.
The function keys which are essential to the operation of the phone are the send, end, power and clear keys. The send key is used to initiate a phone call to the number entered with the data keys and located in the display. The end key is used to end a phone call. The power key is used to turn the radiotelephone on and off with successive key activations. The clear button is used when entering data to clear either one character of data or the entire display of data, depending on how the key is used.
There are three keys which can be used to store and recall names and phone numbers from the radiotelephone memory, namely, the store key, the recall key, and the name key. The store key is used to store data into a memory location. First, the data is entered into the radiotelephone with the data keys, then the store key is pressed, followed by a memory location entered with the data keys. This data can be either symbols, representing names or numbers representing phone numbers. The recall key followed by an appropriate memory location will recall the phone number or name contained within that memory location. The name key is used to activate a menu of names which have phone numbers corresponding to them. The user can scroll through the menu of names using the "#" and the "*" keys.
There are other keys which activate features of the phone which vary between manufacturers. The function key is used to activate other features of the phone denoted by the number input with the data keys which follow activation of the function key. Finally, the menu key is used to access a menu of advanced features which can be scrolled through using the "#" and the "*" keys.
With thorough knowledge of the operation of these keys, a complicated radiotelephone can be successfully operated. However, a high percentage of people do not access the advanced features of the phone because of lack of understanding of the complexities involved in such use. Therefore, there exists a need for an improved technique for operating a radiotelephone; one in which the operation of the radiotelephone is intuitive to the uneducated user.